Plasma Diagnostics

Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars. Controlled thermonuclear fusion on earth requires temperatures of 100 million degrees or more, sufficient to ionize electrons from their nucleus and to form an ionized gas or plasma.

Magnetic confinement fusion uses magnetic fields to hold a plasma in place while it is heated to ignition temperature by external sources. An artists' drawing of a tokamak, the leading candidate for a magnetic confinement fusion device, is shown to the right (illustration courtesy of HowStuffWorks).

The thrust of the UC Davis Plasma Diagnostic Group (PDG) is the development of advanced millimeter-wave plasma diagnostic instruments and techniques on relevant magnetic fusion devices, and obtaining important physics results with these diagnostics. A further important mission is the training of the next generation of plasma physicists and engineers. In this regard, UCD is extremely fortunate to have available perhaps the most extensive microwave, millimeter-wave, and submillimeter-wave equipment collection available anywhere, and has been designated a Center of Excellence in high power microwave/millimeter-wave sources. Further capabilities are provided by extensive collaborations with fusion researchers and millimeter-wave technology researchers worldwide.